7 from Kevin - September 2023
Kevin Jeske-Polyak • August 31, 2023
- The cost of the new Courtyard Fencing & Gates was approximately $26,200. These improvements will preserve and protect this space for the enjoyment of everyone seeking brief periods of safe and peaceful respite during the daytime. Your financial gift to assist in covering the cost of these improvements will help to ensure the continued success of our ministry for many years to come.
- The cost of the
Epoxy Flooring & Labyrinth in the Nave was approximately
$56,700. These improvements will increase the diversified use of our gathering space, improve ease of maintenance, and enhance the appearance and spirituality of our experience in the Nave. Your financial gift to assist in covering the cost of these improvements will help to ensure the continued success of our ministry for many years to come.
- The cost of the Vinyl Flooring in the Parish Hall, Conference Room, administrative hallways, & sacristy hallway was approximately $50,500. This improvement will improve cleanliness, ease of maintenance, and the overall appearance of our social & administrative gathering places. Your financial gift to assist in covering the cost of these improvements will help to ensure the continued success of our ministry for many years to come.
- The cost of the Countertops & Cabinets, in the Parish Hall & Sacristy hallway was approximately $27,000. These improvements will increase the functionality of our work spaces and increase the organization of storage spaces. Your financial gift to assist in covering the cost of these improvements will help to ensure the continued success of our ministry for many years to come.
- The cost of the Lighting, Acoustics, & Electrical Upgrades in the Parish House was approximately $199,200. These improvements will provide adjustable lighting, reduce electrical bills, improve quality of sound, and enhance the appearance of our Parish Hall and Kitchen spaces, Your financial gift to assist in covering the cost of these improvements will help to ensure the continued success of our ministry for many years to come.
- The cost of the Pavement & Sidewalk was approximately $18,800. These repairs will improve physical safety, extend the life of our parking lots, and enhance the overall appearance of our property. Your financial gift to assist in covering the cost of these improvements will help to ensure the continued success of our ministry for many years to come.
- Ministry group leaders at St. James generously devote intentional time to planning, facilitating, and coordinating the outreach and in-reach activities of their respective ministry groups. Often unheralded for their efforts, they graciously go about their duty performing tasks that contribute to feeding and tending God's sheep at St. James.
Friends and Neighbors, This Sunday is Mother's Day and also Good Shepherd Sunday. Both celebrations have been shaped and changed over the years. Good Shepherd Sunday got the name as we do read the passage from John 10 about Jesus the Good Shepherd, and Mother's Day has roots going back to Mothering Sunday in England. The establishment of Mother's Day in the United States was motivated by the recognition of the work of Ann Reeves Jarvis, Julia Ward Howe, and Anna M. Jarvis. These women worked for sanitary health care for soldiers and were advocates for peace during the Civil War. They imagined a union of mothers who would call for peace because mothers knew so deeply the loss of their children to war. Mothering and shepherding call for similar qualities of protection and care.
We continue celebrating Easter as we move into a month full of celebrations and transitions. I am looking forward to just hanging out with folks this Saturday night at our spaghetti dinner. You can find details about that in this email. Please mark your calendars for the annual Justice Knox Celebration on May 19 from 6:30 PM- 8:30 PM at First Presbyterian Church. We will have dinner and share stories about the next steps. You will also be asked to consider making an investment in the work of Justice Knox. I hope that you will consider giving to this important ministry.
Alleluia. Christ is risen. We celebrated the resurrection with so much joy this past Sunday. The Easter feast continues for 50 days. Thank you to everyone who made Holy Week and Easter Sunday so special. You helped people feel welcomed to this place where we proclaim the welcoming love of Christ in word, deed, song, Easter egg hunts, and something good to eat. We welcome others because we have known the love of Christ and want to share it.
Friends and Neighbors, As we journey through Holy Week, I encourage you to pause and consider those events that lead us to the joyful celebration of Easter. May that also be reflected in our lives. We walk through hard things and know that God is with us. We hold to the hope that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Friends and Neighbors, As the weather teases us with warm days followed by chilly ones, we enter Holy Week. You have probably heard me encouraging folks to experience the journey to the cross and the grave so we might celebrate the resurrection with that insight. God has shared this human experience and is with us in the darkness and the light. Our liturgies of Holy Week take us on that journey with Jesus and remind us that God is indeed with us on our own journeys.